Williams applies her trademark cartoony style to 11 tales from the Old Testament, rendered in two- or four-page spreads. The illustrations are characteristically busy, tiny panels sharing space with larger tableaux, all surrounded by a Greek chorus of angels (with a lumpy-headed serpent who twines itself around the frame and provides the antiphon). The effect can be hilarious: 40 itty-bitty panels depict Noah’s Ark bobbing on the waves (and receiving an occasional assist from God), while dialogue from within reveals its passengers’ increasing distaste for their hay rations (“Yuck!”). God Himself is depicted as a bald, jolly-looking olive-skinned gentleman with a beard, and while the other characters’ dialogue is colloquial and even at times irreverent, His dialogue is quoted from the New International Version of the Bible. No collection of stories can convey the grand narrative sweep of the Old Testament, and this is no exception. As an unusual and very funny interpretation of some of the key stories in the Western tradition, this offering works beautifully; as an entree to the Bible itself, it is less successful. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-7636-2211-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2004
A celebration of progressive Judaism and an inclusive primer on Jews making a difference in the world.
This wide-ranging collection of short biographies highlights 36 Jewish figures from around the globe and across centuries.
Explicitly pushing back against homogenous depictions of Jewish people, the authors demonstrate the ethnic, racial, and gender diversity of Jews. Each spread includes a brief biography paired with a stylized portrait reminiscent of those in Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo’s Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls (2016). A pull quote or sidebar accompanies each subject; sidebars include “Highlighting Jewish Paralympic Athletes,” “Jewish Stringed Music,” and “Ethiopian Jews in Israel.” Kleinrock and Pritchard’s roster of subjects makes a compelling case for the vastness and variety of Jewish experience—from a contemporary Ethiopian American teen to a 16th-century Portuguese philanthropist—while still allowing them to acknowledge better-known figures. The entry on Raquel Montoya-Lewis, an associate justice of the Washington Supreme Court and an enrolled member of the Pueblo Isleta Indian tribe, discusses her mission to reimagine criminal justice for Indigenous people; the sidebar name-checks Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan. The bios are organized around themes of Jewish principles such as Pikuach Nefesh (translated from the Hebrew as “to save a life”) and Adam Yachid (translated as the “unique value of every person”); each section includes an introduction to an organization that centers diverse Jewish experiences.
A celebration of progressive Judaism and an inclusive primer on Jews making a difference in the world. (resources) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9780063285712
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sincere but unsuccessful effort.
A collection of 52 Bible stories that focuses on God’s love and portrays people with skin tones typical of the regions in which the stories took place.
This work, with illustrations that correct modern Western misrepresentations of Jesus as someone with “white skin, blue eyes, and blond hair,” is divided into two sections—“Old Testament Stories” and “New Testament Stories.” In the first half, readers will encounter the tales of Joseph, who forgave his jealous brothers for selling him into slavery; Moses, who led the Hebrews out of Egypt; and the daughters of Zelophehad, who fought to inherit their father’s land, among others. The second section, which focuses on Jesus’ message to “love God, neighbor, and self,” covers events including his baptism, crucifixion, and resurrection, as well as the Pentecost and the Revelation of John. While the book does a great job of emphasizing that God’s love is for everyone, the manner of delivery, which is heavily explanatory, robs the narrative of much interest. The audience is also unclear: Younger children may grow restless with the long passages of text and struggle to read the small font independently, while older readers may find that the overall design and appearance feel aimed at younger kids. Although this volume represents a noble attempt to portray brown and Black people in the Bible, the illustrations are uninspired and simplistic.
A sincere but unsuccessful effort. (authors’ notes, publisher’s note) (Nonfiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9781506487182
Page Count: 295
Publisher: Beaming Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
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